Cap-applying means for tube-working machines



CAP APPLYING MEANS FOR TUBE WORK I [NG MACHINES Filed April 20, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR W. T. DAVIS CAP APPLYING MEANS FOR TUBE WORKING MACHINES Filed April 20 1925 a Sheets-Sheet 2 July 24, 1928.

w. T. DAVlS CAP APPLYING MEANS FOR TUBE WORKING MA CHINES Filed April 20, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR M /744 M I'M 50 tion;

Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER T. DAVIS, OF'WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO WHEELING STAMP- ING'COMPANY, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIR- GINIA.

QAP-APIELYING MEANS FOR TUBE-WORKINGMAGHINES.

Application iiled April 20, 1923. Serial No. ti33 .444.

The present invention relates broadly to the manufacture of collapsible tubes, and more particularly to cap-applying means for, tube-Working machines.

a In the patent to John A. lWCGiDIllS, No. 1,457,179, of May 29,4923, there is disclosed a} tube-working machine having means for automatically applying caps to the threaded v necks of the tubes, said means embodying-a lu "IGQLPI'OC'atIIIg chuck adapted to receive a cap from a cap-receiving, cavity at the bottom of a delivery chute and to be moved to a position to engage said cap with the screw- Jthreaded neck of a tube supported on a ro- 1e tating mandrel and to be thereafter retracted into a position to receive another cap, the

machine being provided with a rotary man- I drel-carrying turret having a step-by-step rotation to bring each of a plurality of tube -2 holding mandrels successively into cap-re-' ceiving position, and the cap-applying means operating in synchronism with the step-bystep rotation of the ,turret to supply a cap to, each tube as itis brought into operative position with respect thereto by the turret. An objection to the cap-applying means therein disclosed is that in case a mandrel comes into operative position with respect thereto without-a tube thereon, the cap held in the chuck is pushed out of the same by the following cap and either falls to the floor or is jammed between the chuck and the next tube or mandrel broughtmto operative position, thereby rendering the cap useless and I interfering With the smooth operation of the machine.

The present invention overcomes the I above-mentioned difliculty by so constructing the reciprocating cap-applying chuck and the .delivery chute as to enable the said chuck to receive another cap from the chute only in case the cap previously held'by said chuck has been applied .to the neck of a tube.

Another feature of the invention is a simplified and more economical constructipn of cap-applying means.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a machine embodying my inven- Figure 2 is a view, partly in elevation and 1 partly in vertical section, of certain parts of v the machine, including my invention, the secv tion being taken on the line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3. is a perspective view of the cam member for actuating thechuck carrying plunger in one direction and of a portion of the shaft upon which said cam member is mounted;

Figure 4 is a view, partly in plan and partlyin horizontal section, of the reciprocating chuck and cooperating parts, the chuck being shown in retracted or inoperatlve position with respect to a tube to be supplied with a cap;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the chuck in cap-applying position;

Figure 6 is afront viewof the chuck;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the chuck with the chuck jaws removed;

Figure 8' is a perspective view of one of the slIding' chuck jaws, and I Figure 9 is a perspective view of the stationary chuck jaw.

While my invention'is broadly applicable to various types of machines for manufacturing collapsible tubes, l have herein shown it. as applied to a machine of thctype illustrated in my co-pending application, Serial No. 633,443 filed April 20. 1923, which embodies means for cutting the formed tubes to length, means for forming screw-threads in the necks of the tubes, means for trimming the ends of thetubes, and means for applying caps to the threaded necks.

Referring to thc drawings, the reference character A designates the frame of the machine. This machine is provided with a rotary mandrel-carrying turret *2 which is designed to have a sten-by-step rotation, and which carries four tube-holding rotatable mandrels 3. The actuating gears for the turret and mandrels are indicated by the reference numeral 4, thesegears being driven through a belt 5 from a the latter having fast-and-loose pulleys 7 thereon. I

The machine is provided with a feedhopper 8 of any well-known selective character and. adapted to feed the caps into a suitable delivery chute 9 having an overflow spout 10. The chute 9 deliversthe caps to my improved cap-applying means. The feed hopper is mounted for rotation and is provided. for

power-shaft 6,

drel carrying turret is i the tube is threaded by ventionis illustrated in detail in Figures 2 to with a bevel gear 12 on a shaft 1 3, the latter being journaled in the bracket 14 which supports the hopper. The shaft 13 is driven from a shaft 15 through a belt 16 which en-- gages pulleys 17 and 18 on the shafts l3 and 15, respectively, the shaft 15 being driven from the power-shaft 6 through a belt 19 engaging pulleys 20 and 21 on the said shafts 6 and 15, respectively.

In the operation of the machine, the mangiven a step-by-step rotation to carry each mandrel successivelyinto each of four operative positions 90 apart. At one operative position into'which each mandrel is brought, a collapsible tube to be operated upon is placed thereon by an operative; at the second position, the neck of threading means 22 forming the subject-matter of m co-pending application and the end thereo trimmed to open. up the discharge passage therein; at

the third position, each ttlbe is cut to length by a cutter 23 and the cap appliedto the threaded neck thereof; and at the fourth osition, each tube is removed from its mandrel by the operative.

The cap-applying means of the present in- 9, inclusive. The said means comprises a chuck 24 constructed and arrangedrto receive the caps singly and 1n sucession as delivered by the delivery chute 9 and to apply the same I, to the threaded necks of tubes supported on the rotating mandrels 3 as said mandrels are brought successively into operative position with-respect to the cap-applying means. The chuck 24 has formed integral" therewith the lower endportion 25 of the delivery chute 9, said lower end portion 25 being hinged at 26 to the lower end of a section 27 of said chute, the latter being hinged at 28 to the upper portion of the chute, whereby i a flexible delivery chute is provided enabling the lower end portion 25 thereof to partake of the reciprocatory movements of the chuck.

The'cl1uck 24 carries a pair of opposite sliding aws 29 and a fixed vjaw 30. The aws 29 are held in lateral guideways 31 in the chuck by detachable plates 32, the latter belng held in position on the chuck by screwbolts 33 which passthrough slots 34 in the i sliding jaws, the bolts 33 and slots 34, therefore, limiting the extent of the sliding movements of the said jaws. Springs 35 fastened at one end to the jaws 29 and at the opposite end to the chuck 24 maintain s'aid jaws normally in advanced or cap-engaging position.

As seen by reference to Figure 6, the inner' ends of the jaws 29 and 30 are formed with arcuate edges which co-operate to define a recess 36 for accommodating a cap. When the jaws 29 are advanced, as shown in Figure 6, the space 37 between the upperportions 38 of the inner ends of the jaws 29 is injaws 29 recess.

The chuck 24 is supported upon an end of a plunger 39 which has a reduced portion 40 sliding in the bore 41 .formed 1n one end portion of a rod 42. Diametrically opposite slots 43 are formed. through the cylindrical wall of the rod 42 surrounding the bore 41 and a pin 44 extending transversely through the reduced portion 40 of the plunger 39.en-

gages. in said slots to thereby limit relative axial movement between the plunger 39 and rod 42 and to prevent relative rotational movement between said parts. A coil sprin 45 is arranged in the bore 41 and has one en in engagement with the bottom wall of said bore and its other end in engagement with the end of the reduced portion 40 of the plunger 39.

' The rod 42 is slidably mounted in an adjustable bracket or and has its end portion,

fall into said opposite that having the bore 41, bifurcated.

This bifurcated end portion straddles one end of a bell-crank lever 46, a bolt 47 formmg a pivotal connection between said lever and the bifurcated end of the rod -The bellcrank lever 46 is pivotally connected at its angle by a pivot .pin 48 to the frame A and a coil spring 49 connects said lever 46 to said frame. The arm of the lever '46 to which thespring 49 is connected carries an antifriction roller '50, the said-rolthe opposite end of ler co-operatingwith a face-cam 51, adjustably secured'to the shaft 15 by a set 'screw 52.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen that each of the sliding: jaws 29 is formed at its outer end with a flange 53 extending at right angles thereto and provided with an inwardly facing beveled surface 54;

Adjustably secured in the bracket (1, by means of set screws 55, on opposite sides of the sliding rod 42 and parallel thereto, is a pair of rods 56'. Each rod 56 has an end thereof formed with an outwardly facing beveled surface 57 for co-operation with the correspondin inwardly facing beveled surface 54 of a aw 29. i

The operation of the'ca -applying means 1s as follows: Assuming t e parts to be in retracted or inoperative position as shown 1n Flgures 1 and 4, it will be seen that the beveled suifaces57 of the rods 56 are in engagement with the corresponding beveled surfaces 54 of the sliding chuck jaws 29,

whereby said chuckjaws have been moved to open position, permitting a cap to fall by gravity through the space" 37 and occupy the recess 36'between the inner ends of the and 30.5 .Whenthe face-cam 51 engages 46 is rocked in a theroller [50, the bell-crank l'ever" clockwise direction (Figure 1) in opposition to the spring 49, thereby, through the rod 42, spring and lunger 39, moving the chuck 24 to the right Figure 1) to engage the cap occupying the recess 36 with the threaded neck of a rotating tube B. At the first part of this movement of the chuck 24 to the right, the beveled surfaces 54 of the sliding jaws 29 are moved out of engagement with the beveled surfaces 57 of the rods 56, thereby permitting the springs to move the sliding jaws 29 inwardly to cause their inner ends to frictionally engage the head of the cap in the threads on the neck of the rotating tube B recess 36 to prevent rotation thereofduring the applying operation. As soon as the take hold of the threads on the cap, the further rotation of the tube causes the cap to be screwed up upon the neck thereof, thus drawing the cap out of the recess 36. The function of the spring 45 is obviously to enable the cap to be pressed against the neck of the tube with a yielding pressure during the applying operation, in order that the threads in the tube neckand in the cap may not be damaged. IVhen the parts are moved from the operative. or cap-applying, position shown in Figure 5 of the drawings to the inoperative, or cap-receiving, position shown in Figure 4, the sliding jaws 29 are moved to open position through the en'- gagement' of the beveled surfaces 54 on the jaws with the beveled surfaces 57 on the rods 56. If the cap held in the recess 36 has been applled to a tube upon the previous movement of the applying mean to operative position, another cap will fall into 'therecess 36 upon the movement of the'jaws 29 to open position, but if the cap held in the recess36 has not been applied because, for instance, of the absence of a tube on the re tating mandrel, another cap cannot fall into the recess, since the recess is already occupied by a cap. It will be apparent, therefore, that the present invent1on provide a construction of cap-applying means in which the cap applying chuck can only receive another cap from the delivery chute in case the cap previously held thereby has been applied'to a tube. Y

Another important feature of the cap-ap plying chuck of the present invention is that it embodies bodily-movable means having a smooth uniform sliding friction-surface for engagement with each cap to hold the same in correct operative position while being appliedto the threaded neck of the tube, while permitting the capv to be gradually drawn .out of the chuck as it is screwed up upon the neck of the tube Without putting any undue strain upon the cap tending t o distortormutilate the same.

'WhileI have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the drawings do not deplying the same tothe threaded neck of a,

tube, substantially as described.

2. In a collapsible tube-working machine, cap-delivery means and means for receiving a cap by gravity directly from said delivery means and frictionally holdingthe same by engagement with its periphery only and ap plying the same to the threaded neck of a tube, said receiving and applying means being constructed and arranged to prevent the delivery of another cap thereto while a cap is vheld therein, substantially as v described. .3. In a collapsible tube-working machine,

a bodily-movable cap-applying chuck, and

means movable with said chuck for d livering caps thereto.substantially as described.

4. In a collapsible tube-working machine, a bodily-movable cap-applying chuck and a flexible cap-delivery chute having its delivery end portion attached to and movable with said chuck, substantially as described.-

5. In a collapsible tube-working machine, a non-rotating cap-applying chuck movable in one direction to apply a cap to the threaded neck of 'a tube, and means for delivering a cap directly into said chuck in adirection at substantially right angles to said direction of movement of said chuck, said chuck being adapted to hold a cap therein solely by frictional engagement with its periphery, substantially as described.

ltit) 6. In a collapsible tube-working machine,

cap-applying means having relatively movable members for frictionally holding a cap therein, means for yieldingly maintaining said members in cap-engaging position, and

means for relatively moving said members out of cap-engaging position, substantially as described.

- 7. In a collapsible tube-working machine, a cap-applying chuck having relatlvely movable jaws for frictionally engaging the pe- 8. In a collapsible tube-working machine,

a cap-applying chuck having relatively movable jaws for 'frictionally Lholdirig a cap therein, means for limiting the relative inward movement of said jaws,-yielding means struction for normally maintaining said jaws at the limit of their inward movement, said jaws when in said position preventing the delivery of a cap thereto, means for producing relative outward movement of said jaws, and means for delivering'a cap to said jaws when moved outwardly by said means, substantially as described.

9. ;In a collapsible tube-working machine,

a cap-applying chuck having relatively movable jaws for frictionally holding a cap therein, means for relatively moving said jaws means at the receiving station for engaging said jaws and moving the same out of capengaging position, and means fort delivering a cap to said jaws when in the latter position, substantially as described. 7

11. In a collapsible tube-working machine, a chuckhaving a pair of sliding jaws for frictionally holding a cap therein, each of said jaws having a beveled surface, yielding means for normally maintaining said jaws in cap-engaging position, means for reciprocrating said chuck between a cap-receiving station and a cap-applying station, stationary means for co-operation with the beveled surfaces of said jaws at said receiving station for moving said jaws out of cap-engaging position, and means for delivering a cap to said aws when in the latter position, substantlally as described.

12. In a collapsible tube-workin machine, tube-holding means, bodily-move. le means being delivered thereto, sub- 1 for frictionally holdinia cap in position to be applied to the neo of a tube on said tube-holding means, means for delivering a cap to said cap holding means, and means for moving said cap-holding means to and from cap-applying position with respect to said tube-holding means, said last-mentioned means being constructed tain the cap-holding means in cap-applying position, substantially as described.

13. In a collapsible tube-working machine, bodily-movable cap-applying means, means for moving said cap-applying means. to and from cap-applying posi ion, and means for delivering a cap to said applying means by gravity, said applying means being con structed to frictionally hold said cap therein by engagement with its periphery'only, substantially as described.

14. A cap applying means for collapsible tubes including a tube supporting member, a chuck member, one ofsaid members being movable toward and away from the other, means operable upon the movement of the movable member away from the other member for opening the chuck, means for closing the chuck on the approach of one member toward the other, and means for feeding a cap into the chuck when the same is open and empty.

to yieldingly main- 15. A cap applying means for collapsible tubes including a tube supporting member, a

chuck member, said chuck comprising a supporting block having sliding jaws thereon, said jaws having cap gripping surfaces and cap feed control fingers, a cap delivery chute terminating at thechuck, said fingers being reciprocable across the end of the chute, one ofsaid members being movable toward and away from the other, and means operable of the movable member upon the movement away from the other for opening tlIBJaWS of the chuck, and, other means or closing the chuck.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my-hand- WALTER T. DAVIS. 

